We will adopt the convention that a byte comprises eight bits of data and thus, a 16-bit word comprises two bytes while a 32-bit word comprises four bytes. The order of the bytes is significant in data processing because the processor is organized so that bits in prescribed positions cause prescribed actions which a user is powerless to alter.
There are two well-known communIties of users; the IBM (International Business Machine CorPoration) and the DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) communities. These two communities are well entrenched and interpret information in accordance with different byte order conventions. Processors which are organized to respond to instructions of one byte order do not respond properly to instructions of the other byte order. Consequently, at present, users operating with one byte order are foreclosed from using processors organized for the other byte order. Moreover, two separate software support efforts must be maintained at great expense.